


Pinocchio & Lampwick or the Coachman's Revenge

by c0rn



Category: Pinocchio (1940)
Genre: Action/Adventure, M/M, Minor Original Character(s), Unofficial Sequel, the characters after the coachman will only have minor roles as well
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-05-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:20:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 16,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23226199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/c0rn/pseuds/c0rn
Summary: After finally becoming a real boy, Pinocchio ponders about the fate of the other boys who have been turned into donkeys, his friend Lampwick's, most of all. One day, he does find him and what follows is a happy reunion between two best friends. It seems that their troubles are finally over... or is it?(Originally written sometime in February 2017)
Relationships: Lampwick/Pinocchio
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	1. Prologue; The Donkey

**Author's Note:**

> Long time, no write, but I'm back! And, actually, I haven't been writing actually because this fanfiction was written _way_ back in February 2017 and was also finished that same year. _That's over three years ago!_ Crazy, ain't it? And because this story is already finished, I can promise regular weekly updates. Particularly on Fridays, but no set time. Maybe in the afternoon and that's only if you're in the Philippine Standard time.
> 
> Now, about the fanfic...
> 
> This is simply from an idea about how so many fates were left ambiguous and how none of the villains ever got their comeuppance, so I decided to make my own sequel of sorts. And as expected, I am lowkey (actually, it's very obvious) shipping Lampwick and Pinocchio like in my last fic about this movie. That one is _very_ NSFW so be warned. Fortunately for you, this will be a lot more SFW than that one. I should point out that there will be kissing so if you don't like that, I'm warning you guys in advance so you can choose to not follow this story. I'm keeping this as PG as possible. But enough about my usually long-winded author notes. Let's get to reading!

PROLOGUE

It was quite an adventure he had. It had been a while since it happened and he's now a real boy, which he was still grateful for. But he can't help but feel that something was not right. Within the following days, he found himself just looking out at the window, wondering whatever happened to those other boys back in Pleasure Island, especially Lampwick.

Every time the name came back to him, he always felt sad because he had witnessed the horrible sight of seeing his best friend turn into a donkey as he cried out for his mother. Right now, he still had no clue what became of him after that. 

He had followed Lampwick wherever he went. Of all the boys in Pleasure Island, he was the only one he had managed to befriend. The other boys seemed to be too busy having fun with the others. In fact, it was only much later he grasped, some of the boys might have been even making fun of him back there, laughing every time he approached them, saying that they found him strange and such. He honestly didn't know.

Pinocchio couldn't recall one hurtful word Lampwick said to him or about him. Other than also finding it strange that he was made of wood, and that he was a puppet without strings, he stuck by the boy because he found him interesting. Even though he knew now—and not then—that he really was a bad influence and tempted him to do things that no good boy should do, he was still the best and only friend he ever had and tried to show him how to have fun, but at a cost. He did admit that it was rather insensitive to think that Jiminy Cricket was nothing more but a conscience, which he apologized to much later. Despite this, he grew quite fond of Lampwick during their stay in Pleasure Island.

"What do people do to donkeys?" he once asked Jiminy, rather out of the blue. "How do they take care of them?"

For some reason, Pinocchio saw that Jiminy couldn't bring himself to answer. Perhaps he knew that his curiosity was brought on to what would've had happened to him if he fully turned into a donkey. Jiminy had travelled enough to see sights both great and horrible.

"W-well... you see, Pinoke," he began, but stammering. "People usually get donkeys to do work for them, like, in the farms, salt mines, sometimes they perform in circuses—"

"What kind of work do they do?" he asked, interrupting Jiminy.

"Well, they... carry heavy loads, pull carts—"

"Can they be pets? Do people feed them and give them a nice home?"

The more he asked, the more Jiminy began to grimace, until he simply said to him:"I think its best I save that answer for... some other time."

"Oh, alright," said Pinocchio, a bit disappointed.

The conversation alone gave Pinocchio the idea that donkeys are probably treated differently than cats and goldfish.

So every night, before he went to sleep and every morning when he woke up, he would never stop wondering. He prayed to the Blue Fairy that they would at least be okay. Or at least, Lampwick, wherever he may be.

* * *

I – The Donkey

One day, at late afternoon, Pinocchio was excited as Geppetto held his hand as they walked to the farm to get some milk. He had never been to one before. Ever since that day he got lost, his father, Geppetto, had been very protective of him, and he couldn't blame him. 

The farmer greeted Geppetto, and the two adults were then engaged in a conversation. It gave Pinocchio the chance to slide out of his father's grip and look around the farm.

Jiminy Cricket, who had been resting on Pinocchio's hat the entire walk, got up and said: "Don't wander too far now."

"I know," said Pinocchio. "I just wanna look around."

He wanted to see if there were donkeys in the farm. He remembered Jiminy Cricket saying that they could be found in such a place.

However, he saw other animals like chickens, goats, cows, and some horses being tended by a young man older than Pinocchio—the farmer's son—whom Pinocchio waved at. The young man simply nodded in response.

Suddenly, a strange contraption caught his eye.

"What is that?" he asked.

"That's a water wheel," answered Jiminy. "It's used to power up the farm with flowing water. For now, though, it looks like it's out of commission since no one is making it spin."

"Who makes it spin?"

" _It's supposed to be by that little donkey given to Papa a week ago._ "

Pinocchio turned to the farmer's son, who spoke all of a sudden.

"But he's too weak to do it."

Lighting up, Pinocchio asked of the farmer's son:

"May I see it? The donkey, I mean."

The young man hummed and signalled him to follow with a tilt of his head.

Pinocchio was led to a tiny shed where a donkey lay on a bed of straw. Its eyes were heavy and breathing faint. It had marks on its body that began to scar. He pitied the poor creature as he kneeled beside it. He then turned to the farmer's son.

"Don't look at me," said the young man with his hands in the air. "He was already like this when we got him. I have no idea why he even agreed to take it in. The man who gave it to Papa said it was from the salt mines, so what?"

The young man went back to his horses soon after.

Jiminy hopped down and observed the creature as well.

"He's not in very good shape, I'm afraid," he said.

Pinocchio went for a closer look at the donkey. Jiminy was right.

"I think it's about time I tell you how people treat donkeys," Jiminy began to speak. "What you're seeing right now is something not uncommon to what happens to them after all the hard work they did. Since that young man said he was from the salt mines, well, I could only guess how much he's been through. Poor thing..."

Pinocchio kneeled beside the creature and began petting it. Jiminy did the same, and the images of all the boys who have turned into donkeys were coming back to him. Pinocchio failed to notice him wincing, thinking that the very donkey in front of them might once be a boy.

"Lampwick..."

The name slipped from Pinocchio's lips and the donkey suddenly began lifting its head. Its eyes began to open and the donkey started braying, hoarsely at first, but it grew increasingly louder.

"What did you do?" asked a panicking Jiminy.

"I don't know!" answered a confused Pinocchio. "I was just petting him and then... and then..."

The name Pinocchio had uttered just now. His eyes widen in realization.

Could it be?

What were the odds of having had found him here?

"L-Lampwick? Lampwick?" Pinocchio said it again and the donkey brayed some more.

He tried to speak to the animal.

"Lampy, it's me Pinocchio! Does this mean you remember me?"

Jiminy was confused at what he was seeing and hearing. 'Lampwick'? He recalled the name belonging to a very disagreeable boy. He didn't think much about what happened to him. "Pinoke, let's not just jump to conclusions here. This could be just any donkey."

"No, Jiminy," said Pinocchio. "I can see it in his eyes, this is Lampwick! He knows me and I know him!"

The noise caught the attention of the farmer and Geppetto, who had been looking for Pinocchio.

"There you are!" he said.

"What's going on here?" asked the farmer.

"Father, father, I need to bring him home with me!" begged Pinocchio.

"That thing is half dead," said the farmer, callously. "He's not of any use in here and neither in your home. Better just drown him and use his skin for a drum."

"No!" Pinocchio held the donkey closer.

"Now, Pinocchio," chimed in Geppetto. "There is no more room for pets. We already have Figaro and Cleo."

"He's not a pet, he's my friend!" cried Pinocchio. "He's very sick and he needs help."

"He's dying, son," said the farmer. "There's nothing we could do."

"Pinocchio, I think it's too late," said Geppetto, sadly. " We have to let him go "

"I'm NOT letting go!" Pinocchio closed his eyes when he felt tears stinging his eyes. "He can't die. I don't want him too..."

The donkey's brays had gone softer. It rubs his head on Pinocchio's seemingly trying to comfort him or wipe away his tears. The farmer just saw it as the donkey trying to lick his tears because it thought it was water.

"I never knew your boy was fond of animals this much," informed the farmer to Geppetto. "Although, I'm not really sure what he meant by calling that jackass his friend."

Both men looked at Pinocchio pitifully, who looked like he was ready to cry on the donkeys weakening body. As much as the farmer hated to admit it, he did feel a little sorry he couldn't save the donkey himself. He tried to hide the sympathy he felt underneath a cold exterior.

"I honestly have no idea why he's acting like this, but if it's okay with you, perhaps we could bring the donkey back to our home to spend its final moments with my son," proposed Geppetto.

"If you must," sighed the farmer. "Only to get it out of our hands, I guess."

The farmer put two fingers in his mouth and let out a loud whistle.

"Isidoro, get over here! Prepare Alo"—a horse—"and his wagon."

The farmer's son helped his father carry the donkey onto the wagon. Because Pinocchio wanted to be beside him, they helped carry him onto the wagon as well.

"It's okay, I can walk," said Geppetto.

They made their way back to the village, beating the traffic of other horse-pulled wagons and people crossing the street.

By the time they made it back to the shop, the first few stars of the night had appeared in the sky. Pinocchio jumped off the wagon and Geppetto helped the farmer's son carry the donkey into their home. Setting it down on the floor would be fine for now.

The young man tipped his hat to the both of them and rode his way back to the farm.

Pinocchio wasted no time in making the donkey feel more comfortable. He grabbed a blanket off the bed to warm him with.

Cleo, from her bowl, looked on, baffled.

Figaro walked near the donkey, curious but cautious. He hissed when the donkey brayed weakly.

"Figaro, be nice!" scolded Pinocchio. "He's not feeling well."

"He needs some water," suggested Geppetto. "I'll go get some from the well. I'll be right back."

"Great idea, father," said Pinocchio. "But hurry!"

Once Geppetto ran out of the door, Jiminy looked at the donkey again. He shook his head. "I don't think he's getting any better."

Pinocchio looked into the creature's eyes. Its dark lids were getting heavier and its side, where Pinocchio's hand lay still, were rising up and down but only very slightly.

"I know," he agreed, though he didn't want to. He spoke to the donkey as if it understood him. "Just hold on, Lampy. You're safe now."

The door swung open when Geppetto returned with a bucket of water.

"Here's the water," he said, setting it down near the donkey. "Grab the ladle for him to drink from!"

"Yes father!" Pinocchio hurried and grabbed the ladle hanging somewhere in the kitchen.

He scooped a generous amount of water to bring it close to the donkey's lips.

"C'mon Lampy, drink up!" He was holding out the ladle in his hands and poured it into his mouth.

The donkey let the water flow against his lips without much of a response.

Pinocchio shook his head in disbelief.

"Lampy?" He scooped some water to its lips again. Still nothing.

It looked like it was too late.

"No..." uttered Pinocchio, weakly.

"I am so sorry, my son," whispered Geppetto, his hand on Pinocchio's shoulder and making a cross with the other.

"No, no, no, no!" Pinocchio began to cry, tears running fast down his cheeks. He muffled his sobs on the donkey's body.

A tear escaped Jiminy as he took off his hat.

Figaro and Cleo ceased their moving, giving complete silence to everything around the house.

Just as when it looked like the donkey was finally dead and gone, a blue light accompanied by white star-like glints surrounded the creature's still body.

Geppetto, Figaro, Cleo, and Jiminy noticed the unusual glow which began to transform the donkey to what looked like... a boy! Once the light went away, indeed, it was a boy.

A boy, much older than Pinocchio, with a skinny frame and red hair appeared before them, laid with his body bare, luckily still covered with a blanket. Pinocchio was too caught up in his sorrow to notice, however.

"Pinocchio... Pinocchio." His father shook his shoulders but he refused to look up. "L-look Pinocchio, it's..."

"He's dead, father..."

Figaro meowed loudly and Cleo splashed around her bowl. Pinocchio wouldn't budge until Jiminy Cricket jumped beside him and said:  
"Pinocchio, open your eyes!" he cried. "It's him!"

Once he got a good look, he realized that he was crying on someone's chest. It didn't take long for Pinocchio jolted back in shock to see before him a face he knew all too well.

There he was.

What's more, the boy's eyes flickered open. Slowly, he sat up and looked at the first face he saw, which said:

"Lampwick...?"

That was his name... or rather, the name he was called. "Are you...?"

He began to speak, but he couldn't form any words as he was busy looking at himself, touching his face, feeling the skin on his body, and...

His hands! His feet! He's even got all of his fingers and toes!

Pinocchio reached out to him. To his surprise, Lampwick quickly pulled him close. He didn't mind, as he kissed him on both cheeks and they shared a deep embrace that could last for hours.

They both pulled back to look at each other.

"Pinocchio..." uttered Lampwick. "You're Pinocchio!"

"Yes, it's me!" said Pinocchio, joyful. "And you're Lampwick! We're friends!"

"Lampwick..." repeated Lampwick, scratching his head. "I'm Romeo... but the kids call me 'Lampwick'. And you called me 'Lampy...' And we're friends!"

Touching foreheads, they both giggled and were teary eyed. The ecstasy of it all was just so overwhelming.

No one could believe what was happening. Jiminy Cricket, Geppetto and his pets watched in awe at the scene unfolding.

Another miracle has happened inside their house. 


	2. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pinocchio and Lampwick talk for a while about Lampwick's experiences before going to bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, I don't like this chapter. As I was reading it, I was cringing at some parts because I feel like they're written in a weird way but I'm too lazy to make any revisions so I'll just leave it as is. 2017 me was dumb OTL
> 
> Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter more than I do.

II - Reunion

After being bathed and given clothes to wear, Lampwick rested idly on the bed with a warm meal prepared by Geppetto.

Pinocchio watched with fascination seeing Lampwick eat so much all at once. While he had no idea how exactly he was treated back in the salt mines, he guessed that they weren't fed much. Now that he had turned back into Lampwick, he could finally stop mentally referring to him as a donkey.

It was finally over. For now.

He still had many questions to ask. Pinocchio would have to wait because it wasn't polite to disturb someone while eating. Perhaps, he should leave him alone to eat for a while.

"Pinocchio?"

He heard Lampwick say his name. "Yes, Lampy?"

"Could you take this back?" Lampwick handed his plate which was mostly finished but a bit of food was still left. "I think I ate too much."

Pinocchio laughed. "Well, this was your fifth plate."

Taking the plate, he placed it on the table. Geppetto, bringing the same plate on the floor, decided to feed it to Figaro.

"Could you, uh, come sit beside me?" asked Lampwick.

"Okay, Lampy!" Eager as ever, Pinocchio did just that.

The night was truly a miracle. It was a calm evening as they sat down, taking it all in what had happened before.

Lampwick sat in different positions of comfort with each movement being copied by Pinocchio, shifting to and fro, sitting up straight then slouching, then straight up again, placing his hands on the back of his head... Pinocchio knew he was going to notice. He wanted to get his attention.  
  
"What?!" whined Lampwick, slightly annoyed and amused at the same time.

"Glad to have you back, Lampwick!"  
  
Lampwick rolled his eyes. A bit melodramatic of him but knowing the kid, he probably meant it. He didn't know if he should be angry or happy for giving him that warm fuzzy feeling in his chest.

"Or should I say Romeo?"

"Now you're just pushing it." Lampwick frowned at that. He hoped that he hadn't heard. He was going to kick himself for letting his name slip, that's for sure.

"Come on, Lampy. I was just joking!" smiled Pinocchio. "It's just that I have so many questions. I wanted to ask what happened to you after—"  
  
Before he could finish, Jiminy jumped into the scene.

"Pinocchio, I think it's best if we let him tell us when he's ready," he said. "It might be a bit too soon to try and ask him about something so touchy."

"For once, I have to agree with your little uh...cricket?"—Jiminy nodded—"friend here. I'm still trying to figure out some stuff."  
  
"Oh yes, yes! I understand Lampy," said Pinocchio. "I didn't mean to rush you. It's okay if you don't want to tell me now."

"Last I remembered, we were on Pleasure Island, then I grew ears, a tail; I was screaming and then..."  
  
"You turned into a..." Pinocchio couldn't finish.

"Exactly," said Lampwick, knowing what meant. "Some huge guys in black dragged me to a crate with the other donkeys, they took me to this place called a 'mine'... that place was awful!"

"Lampy..." Pinocchio wanted to tell him that he needn't go on any further. But the story continued anyway when Lampwick kept on speaking.

"They treated us like dirt, but those mean men told us we were lower than dirt. He would whip us until we cried. When we got to rowdy, he took one of us aside."

As he went on, Geppetto, Figaro, and Cleo joined in to listen to his story.

"Do you know that when you're a donkey, you can understand the others even though they can't talk anymore?"

Pinocchio shook his head. He didn't know because, fortunately for him, he never fully became a donkey.

"He was gonna whip the smallest one in the bunch! I heard him scream and that's when I went in front of him and took the beating. He didn't even notice that he was whipping a different donkey. I bet he was too blind to know the difference. I just couldn't take hearing them scream 'Mama', 'Papa', 'help me,' 'I wanna go home,' that every time they got hurt. So I always took their place.

"Then one day, while the man was so angry at us that he forgot to lock the pen, I told them to run while he beat me. And so they did. Finding out that I was the only one here and one donkey could never pull a cart, they just threw me to some farmer so if I did die, at least it would be in a peaceful place. Nobody in that farm could treat me. I wasn't strong enough to pull the water mill, and I wouldn't eat or drink.  
  
"Then you came along, and the rest, well, you know."

A deafening silence followed that lingered. No one could comprehend what they just heard.

"Gee..." Pinocchio merely voiced, in pure disbelief.

However, the tale Geppetto heard from the boy broke his heart. As if the treatment of donkeys were horrible enough, many of them were once children. Such an experience could haunt him for the rest of his life.

"You are one brave boy," expressed Geppetto, in awe. "Having the courage to unselfishly take a beating for your friends like that."

"What if that's how you turned back into a real boy?" guessed Pinocchio. "Remember, Lampwick? I was a puppet when you met me, now look at me!"  
Lampwick didn't know how he missed it, yet he it did occur to him that the kid looked more different than he remembered.

"Oh yeah!" he said just realizing it. "Boy, I caught on slow. Anyway, what were you saying?"

"Before I became a real boy, a Blue Fairy came to me and said that I must prove myself to be brave, truthful, and unselfish," said Pinocchio. "Don't you see, Lampy? The Blue Fairy helped you!"

"Blue Fairy, huh?" He had half a mind to dismiss it as some fairytale. Then again, given what he'd been through, turning into a donkey, then back into a boy, and having been friends with someone who was once a puppet... "That makes sense."

"Not really," chimed in Jiminy. "But you can't go above that so, yeah, just believe it happened."

Suddenly, all the clocks in the shop started to go off. Geppetto looked at the time in his watch.

"It's getting late," informed Geppetto. "While I do love to hear more, we best get some sleep."

"Come on, Lampy." Pinocchio jumped out of bed. "We need to change into our pajamas."

Lampwick held his body close at hearing that they had to change their clothes, which meant taking it off.

"Can't I just sleep in this? What if there's nothing that will fit me?"

"I have a spare right here," Geppetto showed him a nightgown, similar to what he and Pinocchio would be wearing with its size being smaller than his own but bigger than his son's.

"I-I just don't want anyone to see me naked for now."

"Why?" asked Pinocchio.

"Don't you remember? I was whipped all the time when I was a donkey!" exclaimed Lampwick. "I probably have scars all over my body. I don't want anybody to see."

"But... son," Geppetto began. "You had no scars on your body."

"What?!" Lampwick couldn't comprehend. What did he mean he didn't have any? After all the beating he went through. "That's impossible."

"I bathed you earlier tonight," he said. "You had no scars. Well, you did, but none of them were from whippings. I would've known what they look like."

Lampwick tried to feel anything underneath his shirt. He rolled it up to see nothing but pale skin, bare of any tissue scars that surely would've covered him all over. There were days when he was whipped so hard, it drew blood.

And yet, to his surprise, his body was almost like it was before he even became a donkey.

"Maybe the Blue Fairy took your scars away when you turned back into a boy," said Pinocchio.

Perhaps she did. And once again, he was not going to argue it. He looked out the window to see the bright star that shone in the sky.

"That's her." Jiminy pointed out. "Ain't she glowin'?"

Forced pun aside, the cricket was right. The Blue Fairy outshone any star in the sky. Such a simple image of an evening sky was so beautiful, and he never knew.

"Thank you," he whispered softly. And he really meant it. He would carry the pain he experienced as an animal forever in his mind, but it helped that he didn't have to show the pain in his body too.

As the night came to a close, Geppetto offered Lampwick his spot for tonight, telling the boys he'd be comfortable sleeping on the smaller bed at the corner of the shop.

Properly dressed for sleep, Lampwick and Pinocchio were snuggled in their beds.

The night was a bit chilly. Pinocchio wrapped his arms around Lampwick's torso, until he fell asleep.

Lampwick couldn't push him away and definitely not because he looked too cute to be disturbed. But because it actually felt so warm and nice, he let him be. Soon after, he also fell asleep just as the candle's flame was put out. And he had a huge, buck-toothed grin on his face all the while.


	3. The Wooden Toy Duck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While at play with Pinocchio, Lampwick takes a detour to drop by at a place that he now realized was near and dear to his heart.

III - The Wooden Toy Duck

Pinocchio had just asked Geppetto if he and Lampwick could go out. It was morning and they had just finished their breakfast. And a beautiful Saturday morning could not be wasted. No school!

Dressed in some old clothes from Geppetto which had been washed, Lampwick was outside wondering what Pinocchio had planned for them today. He had to be honest with himself; Pinocchio's definition of 'going out to play' was different from his. It might be because it was usually at a moment when he's not in the watchful eyes of parental figures that he indulged in vices that a kid his age shouldn't be doing in the first place. That was his kind of 'play time.'

However, his time as a donkey scared him straight enough not to think about lighting up a cigar or sneaking at a local bar to drink. Maybe he still had a bit of an urge, but he had enough willpower to not let it overcome him. And feeling drunk and dizzy was no fun at all. So today, Pinocchio was showing off a toy that Geppetto made for him.

Typical kids' stuff, he thought, but he wasn't making fun of him. It's just that rarely he was ever asked to join in other kids playing games as innocent as this;

They were playing with a wind-up duck made of wood that quacked as it waddled. Painted, it had a yellow beak, a green head, and different shades of brown all over its body.

Figaro later joined in, attempting to swat at the automated plaything with Pinocchio blocking him at every attempt, afraid that he might break it.

As the duck walked, the two boys followed wherever it went while Figaro went back inside.

Suddenly, it stopped.

Pinocchio clapped his hands in glee.

"Again!" he cheered, winding up the duck one more time. "Let's walk like ducks this time!"

"Um, okay..." said Lampwick, with an odd look.

Both squatting, they waddled along with the toy. Pinocchio was enjoying himself but Lampwick still felt weird about it. Strangely though, he wasn't embarrassed. He just looked at the wooden duck in front of them.

" _Gee, I never had toys like that,_ " he thought. Come to think of it, he didn't have lots of toys. If he remembered correctly, his room was a total pigsty with an unmade bed, scraps all over the floor, and with the few toys he had all broken, some of their parts missing and scattered about.

Just then, he suddenly thought about home. He also thought about his mama. He wondered how much she worried when he had gone missing for who knows how long. His papa, he quite forgot, was never home. He was always away working in the big city. They have not heard from him in a year.

He had even heard his mother say that she wouldn't even care if he were dead.

Lampwick snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Pinocchio shout "again!" and wound up the toy some more.

He just noticed that they were a good distance away from the shop. If Pinocchio's cricket were here, he'd probably be scolding them right now. But he's not here yet.

The bug probably slept in somewhere. That's it.

Some of the people walking past gave them a look, but neither minded them. Pinocchio was careful not to lose sight of the duck, but Lampwick looked around the village. He was secretly making a familiar path in his mind.

The duck stopped again. Before Pinocchio could wind it up some more, Lampwick spoke up.

"Hey, Pinoke, is it okay if I have a go at it this time?" he offered.

"Sure, Lampy! No problem," said Pinocchio.

Lampwick turned the key several times, and the duck was on the move. He turned the toy at a different angle to make sure it was taking the way he ought to go.

"I wonder where it'll take us," said Pinocchio about the duck.

"You'll see," said Lampwick, too soft for Pinocchio to hear.

Still in their awkward position, they followed the toy as they went further away from Pinocchio's house. Lampwick stared straight ahead, determined. Pinocchio was beginning to get a little tired, but he refused to stop even when his legs began to go numb.

"Gee, you really like this game, huh Lampy?" asked Pinocchio with a hint of breathlessness.

The duck stopped, Lampwick wound it up, and off they went again.

"C'mon, Pinoke!" he called.

"Just a second!" called back Pinocchio. He stretched his legs then went back to waddling.

They were both sweating bullets under the morning sun. Lampwick had wound up the toy two more times since then.

"Just a little more," Lampwick thought out loud.

"I think..." Pinocchio was talking between breaths, struggling to keep the position. "We ought to... take... a... rest. Don't you...?"

Tired, he fell on his knees on all fours, looking at the ground and panting.  
  
"Lampwick?" he called when he didn't hear a reply. "Did you hear what I—?"

Looking up, he saw Lampwick having stood up and the toy no longer moving. He also saw that they were in front of a small house that looked not too bad. While a bit larger than his and his father's house, it was rather plain and looked like no one had swept the yard in a while, but it wasn't rundown or anything.

"Where are we?" Pinocchio stood beside Lampwick.

After a few seconds, he answered: "Home..."

"Home...? You mean your home?"

Lampwick nodded.

"I can't believe it's so near," said Pinocchio. "We could've just walked if you told me."

"I know," said Lampwick. "But I wanted to... punish myself. I probably hurt her really bad. My legs hurt but I bet it doesn't even come close to how much I broke mama's heart."

Then he turned to Pinocchio.

"I'm sorry if I dragged you into this. You're right. I should've just told you."

"It's okay, Lampwick," said Pinocchio. " Besides, I was the one who thought of the 'let's walk like a duck' game."

Lampwick smiled. Looking back at the house, he said: "What now? Should I just knock and wait for mama to open the door?"

"It's up to you," said Pinocchio. "I don't wanna tell you what to do."

"What if she doesn't want me no more? I'm scared. What do I tell her?" Lampwick was feeling so nervous, his heart was ready to jump out of his chest.

"You feel sorry, don't you? She'll understand," said Pinocchio.

"I wasn't very nice to her last time I saw her..." Lampwick wiped away a tear.

"I also thought I really hurt my father when I didn't go to school." Pinocchio began to share how he felt. "And when I ran away with you to Pleasure Island... And when he saw me with donkey ears and a tail... you'll never really know unless you try."

Lampwick remained still. He was a few inches away from the door. All he had to do is knock.

"If you want to, we could always go back next time—"

"No, no, you're right!" He raised his fist. "I have to know!"

Lampwick knocked on the door, loud so whoever was inside could hear it. Twiddling his fingers, he waited anxiously. When no one answered, he knocked on the door some more.

Then he heard someone say that they're coming.

That voice.

This was it.

He backed away just a little to let the door swing open so he wouldn't get hit as it opened outward from the inside.

Pinocchio watched to see a lady open the door. She had tired eyes and mousy brown hair covered by a cloth which was tied on her head. She wore an old dress with a dirty apron around her waist.

The lady, from what he could see, was probably once beautiful, but the hard work of being a mother weighed heavily on her. Every line on her face had a story to tell. Even though she looked nothing like him, the lady was indeed Lampwick's mother.

Lampwick couldn't look straight at her face. Making himself as small as possible, he spoke softly: "Mama... I-I'm s-sorr... I'm sorr--"

She hugged him before he could finish. Lampwick held onto her, never letting go. When he felt his mother shaking, crying her eyes out on his shoulder, he could no longer hold back the tears forming in his own eyes.

Pinocchio was happy to see them reunited, tearing up for them as well. Feeling that it was best he leave them alone, he picked up his wooden toy duck and turned around to go home. But then Lampwick called for him.

"Wait!" he cried. "I want mama to meet you."

Explaining how Pinocchio had found him, his mother also hugged his friend, thankful.

Lampwick's mother invited them back into the house where she whipped something up for her son and his friend to eat. It was still too early for lunch and they just had breakfast, but Lampwick wouldn't dare refuse his mother's cooking.

Seeing that Pinocchio was also pretty tired, he'd better eat as well.

Munching away on some good old bread and cheese, and a tall glass of milk, Lampwick was happy to be home.

"My legs still hurt," said Pinocchio, suddenly.

"Hang out for awhile then," suggested Lampwick. "I wouldn't wanna go somewheres else just yet."

Finished eating, Lampwick took Pinocchio to his room.

"I can't believe it," said Lampwick, gazing back and forth at the area. "Mama must've been cleaning this room every day since I left."

"I guess she was waiting for you," added Pinocchio.

"Yeah... I guess."

His mother must've loved him very much if she did all of this for him. Back then, Lampwick wasn't too grateful every time his mother touched his stuff and cleaned up the so-called mess he made. What boy would want with a clean room anyway, he once remarked. Seeing it in its present immaculate state, he'd swear not to make too much of a mess in it ever again. He'd probably still, because he was one rowdy boy, but he'd keep in mind to clean up after himself from now on.

"Wow!" Pinocchio was impressed. "You have this room and that bed all to yourself?"

The room was small, but the kid was easily impressed after all. It was a walk-in storage closet turned bedroom after all, as Lampwick was informed.

"Makes me wish I have a room too."

"Maybe your pops could build you one," said Lampwick. "He's a pretty handy guy."

"Yeah, but he's too busy with work," said Pinocchio. He walked around the room, seeing if he had some interesting stuff. "You got any toys? Or games? Some stuff you wanna show off?"

"Eh, not really," answered Lampwick. "I usually just lay around here if I'm bored. Or sleep if I just feel like hitting the hay sometime in the day."

As to make his point, he jumped on his bed where he laid down with his hands on his back.

Pinocchio wanted to lay with him too, but the bed was only made for one, so it was pretty small. Still, he went by his side and tried to make himself comfy.

"It's a pretty tight fit," Lampwick pointed out.

"You don't mind?" Both he and Lampwick seemed to be fighting for space.

"Nah," he insisted. "I'll just move around—hey!"

With one big push from Pinocchio, he found himself on top of his friend.

"Oops! Sorry," said Pinocchio.

"Oh you will be..."

Lampwick sounded upset, but then he started tickling him, causing Pinocchio to laugh uncontrollably. They tickled each other, taking turns on who was going to be on top of the other until finally, they got too tired and breathless.

They lay on their side, their faces almost touching. Pinocchio's nose did tap on Lampwick's. They both giggled at each other because from how close they were, it looked like the other had only one eye.

Pinocchio couldn't stay for long as he looked at the time in the wall clock; his father would be expecting him to be back before lunch.

"I gotta go, Lampy." Pinocchio stood up from the bed.

"Ok, Pinoke." Lampwick sat up. "You should come back and visit."

"Of course." Just as Pinocchio headed out of the room, he remembered something. "Wait! I almost forgot. Close your eyes and hold out your hands."

"Why?"

"Just do it."

Lampwick did, and he felt an object being placed in his palms. He opened his eyes to see the wind-up wooden duck that they had followed all morning.

"I want you to have it," said Pinocchio. "It's a gift for coming home!" 

"You mean a homecoming gift?"

"Yeah, exactly!"

"Aw geez, you shouldn't have."

"No, really," Pinocchio held Lampwick's hands. "It's yours now! Father will understand. And I'll tell him you got home safely."

"Well, gee, Pinoke..." He couldn't stop the blush and the goofy smile that was forming. "Thanks. I mean, thank you... Thank you very much."  
Pinocchio stood with his arms on his back, smiling coyly. "You're welcome."

They waved each other goodbye and on the way out, he waved goodbye to Lampwick's mother.

Lampwick heard the front door slam. Alone in his room, he wound up the wooden duck that was now his; a nice present from a dear friend.

He was still too tired to follow it around like he and Pinocchio did before, so he just watched it quack and waddle on the floor.


	4. School Boys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pinocchio and Lampwick go to school, basically.

IV – School Boys

As soon as the school bell rang, every child in the village went off to school.

Pinocchio was no exception, though he was one of the few kids whose parents had took the time to walk them there. Geppetto was not taking any chances and made it a job to walk him safely to school.

"I'll be here to pick you up," he said, straightening his son's clothes. "Stay in school and be a good pupil."

"Yes, father. I'll be good!"

They waved goodbye to each other. Before he could enter the school, suddenly he saw Lampwick being walked to school by his mother.

She wasn't taking any chances either. She kissed him goodbye then walked away.

Pinocchio was ready to greet him as Lampwick was approaching his way.

"Morning, Lampy!"

"Oh! Didn't see you there. Hey, Pinoke!"

"Are we gonna be in the same class?" wondered Pinocchio, excited. "I hope so!"

"I'd rather not," said a voice that belonged to neither of the two. Jiminy Cricket appeared on Pinocchio's shoulder and added: "He'd probably try something funny."

"Hey, look who's up, bright and early today!" acknowledged Lampwick, rather jokingly at the cricket's presence.

"Don't judge him too harshly, Jiminy. He said he was sorry."

"I really am," put in Lampwick. "You just looked really funny the first time I saw you! I've stopped with the whole grasshopper, beetle thing. Let bygones be bygones, huh?"

"I'm all over it," said Jiminy. "That doesn't mean I'll stop keeping my eye on you, the other on Pinocchio."

"You worry too much, Jiminy."

"I'm your conscience. It's my job!"

They entered the school, looking to sit on their desks. Lampwick pointed to the very back spot of the classroom.

"Let's sit over there," he said to Pinocchio.

"Not so fast, buddy," said Jiminy. "Pinocchio sits at the front row, with all the best kids in class."

"I'm sorry, was I talking to you?"

"You know what kind of people sit at the back of the class. I don't want my Pinoke getting distracted."

"You still think I'm bad, don't you?"

"I have precautions!"

"Stop it guys!" cried Pinocchio, breaking off the argument. "And Jiminy, I know how to talk. Let me tell Lampwick something."

Lampwick smiled smugly at Jiminy, who pouted with his arms crossed.

"How about you sit next to me instead? Right here." Pinocchio gestured the front row of desks.

"Seriously? The front? Where the teacher can spot your every move?"

"It's not so bad, Lampy! With the teacher just in front of you, it makes you pay attention to the lesson."

"That's what I meant," moaned Lampwick.

"Please, Lampy," begged Pinochio, batting his eyes. "For me?"

Lampwick narrowed his gaze. The kid was so cute it should be a crime.

The teacher arrived just as they were about to continue the negotiation. Lampwick ended up sitting next to Pinocchio, not having the time to run to his desk at the back.

"Hey, that's my seat," said a little girl to Lampwick.

"Beat it, toots!" he replied. "First come, first served!"

"Take your seats everyone," commanded the teacher who now stood before them. The girl walked away, moping.

Pinocchio frowned at Lampwick while Jiminy shook his little head.

"What?" said Lampwick, defensively.

"You could've turned her down a bit more nicely," scolded Jiminy.

"Fine, I'll say sorry to her during lunch."

As the teacher was about to start his lesson, he noticed something peculiar about the class.

The teacher hummed and said: "Well, well. Look who came to class at last."

Lampwick felt embarrassed. The chorus of murmurs from his other classmates, some who do recognize him and called him by name, did not help.

"And sitting right in front the class, too, no doubt. There's a first time for everything, isn't there, Romeo?"

Lampwick's face reddened, as well when he heard a few classmates giggle. Even Pinocchio tried to stifle his laughter by covering his mouth.

Pinocchio put his hand down when he caught Lampwick looking at him.

"I don't think this was a good idea," he said, feeling somewhat bad.

"You think?"

Hidden in Pinocchio's pocket, Jiminy whispered: "This is gonna be a long school day."

Giving some time for everyone to settle down, class went on like nothing ever happened. The teacher gave his lesson, students would raise their hands if they knew the answer—Pinocchio also raised his hands and gave his answer several times—and wrote down what the teacher told them to write down.

Lampwick found it difficult to follow the lessons. Then again, he hadn't been because he was, well, not quite himself at the time. Then again, _again_ , he was never a model student even before all of that. He tried his best, nonetheless, and wrote some stuff down in his notebook. And this time, it was not the funny doodles he made of his teacher, making fun of his fancy wig, the huge black mole on his cheek, and powdered face. For all he knew, he could've been using the chalkboard erasers on his face when nobody was around to see. It just ain't right for a man's face to be made-up so much, never mind for someone who was supposed to teach kids.

It was an ordeal to keep those thoughts, but he survived. The school bell rang and the kids rushed out of class for recess. Pinocchio held his hand, trying to beat the kids out of the door.

"No running!" shouted the teacher, which was heard in vain.

Pinocchio had made lots of friends in school. All around, he was asked by the boys and girls to come and join their games.

"Come play with us!" said a boy in a group with his friends.

"Is it okay if he could play too?" he asked, referring to his friend, Lampwick.

Fidgeting, the children fell silent and scratched their heads. Pinocchio's friend had a reputation of being the rowdiest in class which spread to the entire school.

"Why is he with you anyway?" asked the girl who turned out to be the one Lampwick had rudely told to leave. Her name was Susan.

"He's my friend," answered Pinocchio.

The children were shocked. A nice boy like Pinocchio, friends with someone like Lampwick? The children began suggesting some things.

"That's not good, Pinocchio," said a boy named Paul.

"You could be friends with me!" said another boy named Frank.

"Mama and Papa said you shouldn't hang out with bad people because they're, um, bad affluence," said a girl in an overly precocious tone.

"That's 'influence,' Agnes," corrected the girl from earlier.

"Hey look, you still upset about what happened back there?" Lampwick now just recognized her. "If so, I'm sorry. I didn't have time to get to my usual seat, which was in the back."

"I had to sit there because there was no other seat left," said the girl, annoyed at first. "But it's okay because I didn't sneeze at all back there. I never really liked it in front because I was too close to teacher and his chalky face."

The children laughed. Pinocchio asked one more time if Lampwick could join them seeing that he did one of them a favor after all. They were still unsure whether he could join them or not.

He was still considered one of the rowdy boys in school, even if he was the only one left.

Pinocchio had an inkling that he knew what happened to the other rowdy boys. He didn't want to think about it for now.

Just then, Jiminy Cricket showed himself before the kids.

"Jiminy Cricket!" they said.

"I hear that we have a bit of a problem here," he observed.

"Pinocchio wouldn't play with us unless he—" Agnes referred to Lampwick "could play with us too."

"I get it, guys. I wasn't really the nicest guy in town and I wouldn't want to play with me either, but that was then. I'm trying to be good, now. I promise I won't make trouble."

"Can we believe that?" doubted Frank.

"Oh yes you can," answered Jiminy. "Trust me, I've been watching him for some time now. He's been getting better. Not quite there yet, but at least he's not like his old, naughty self."

"He's really trying to be nice," explained Pinocchio. "Just like Jiminy said."

"Are you sure?" said Susan, raising an eyebrow.

"I wouldn't lie," said Pinocchio, tapping on his nose right after. Just in case.

"Okay, fine. He can join us."

Jumping for joy, he pulled Lampwick into the circle and sat down with them. Paul had managed to sneak in some toys in his bag that he wanted to show to his friends. Then they decided to play some jacks, which Agnes had brought. Frank and Pinocchio didn't have anything to show for today.

Then Lampwick grabbed something from his coat. Pinocchio recognized the toy instantly.

The kids were impressed, asking where he got it.

"It's a secret," he said.

Lampwick winked at Pinocchio, earning a giggle from him.

When he wound up the toy, he showed them how he and Pinocchio played with it. The kids followed the duck wherever it went. They were careful not to let it waddle outside of the school or inside the classroom, and the kids took turns to who wanted to make it waddle when it stopped. They had a lot of fun until the bell rang again for everyone to come back inside for lunch.

Unlike recess, class was still boring as ever. He still fought not to sleep through it.

"Class dismissed!" said the teacher at last as the last bell for school rang.

Pinocchio and Lampwick ran outside to see their respective parent waiting. Lampwick asked for his mother's permission if he could come to Geppetto's first. He promised that he'd be back before supper.

"If it's okay with Mr. Geppetto," she reasoned.

Pinocchio pleaded to his father with his eyes. To his joy, Geppetto agreed with a nod.

Lampwick handed his bag to his mother, and joined Pinocchio who skipped merrily down the path to his house.

Today was a great day.


	5. Remembering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lampwick reminisces the first time he and Pinocchio met.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so we're half way finished with the entire fic. So far, the story has been pretty slice of life and lowkey but come next chapter, I PROMISE the story will finally pick up. By that I mean we will get to see some action.

V – Remembering

The steamboat made its way to their destination. Lampwick was excited, not knowing what to expect of Pleasure Island. Most of what he knew of it were from other people who heard of it from other people and so on.

Before getting on board, the coach ride was quite interesting. He wound up having a conversation with a funny looking kid, not letting him get a word on edgewise. He figured that the kid would get annoyed enough to leave him alone. So it surprised him to see that the kid stuck by his side right now. His name, from what he remembered, was Pinocchio. He's pretty sure he was correct.

"I'm so excited!" Pinocchio jumped around. "Aren't you excited?"

"Yeah, I guess." He tried to play it down, though quite honestly, he really was.

Later, the boat stopped at last. None of the boys could contain their excitement and everyone immediately ran out.

The look of childlike wonder were on their faces as Lampwick and Pinocchio got off the boat... holding hands?

How did that happen?

Lampwick was quick to let go of his grip, attempting to look indifferent. Perhaps, this time, the kid will leave him alone. With so many boys running around them, their shoulders occasionally bumping into one another, he'd be lost in them.

But it was foolish of him to think that he'd be rid of that easily.

"Where do you suppose we go first?" asked the kid.

"I don't know about you, but I feel like a grabbing a bite." Lampwick rubbed at his rumbling stomach.

"Okay, Lampwick!"

_That wasn't exactly an invitation_ , he thought.

"You know what, just call me 'Lampy,'" he then said.

"Why?" asked Pinocchio, innocently.

"Eh, it's just what my friends call me," he fibbed. Friends? He almost laughed at it himself.

"We're friends?" He saw the kid's face lit up. "Gee!"

Oh he's done it now. Now the kid will never leave him.

"Whatever. Let's just go."

At the buffet, it was like pushing through a pack of wild animals. Nonetheless, they conquered with an entire roasted turkey on Lampwick's hand while Pinocchio settled for a whole pie.

Lampwick continued with his attempts to separate himself from him. Now, it wasn't that he hated the kid, but for some reason, he just couldn't be around him.

His efforts proved to be futile, even when he lead him to The Rough House. He might get caught up in the scrap and they could finally part ways as unlikely friends. Then he saw the kid make a mistake in picking a fight with the largest kid around and it felt like at that moment, while thinking he had gone too far, the kid was done for until the other boy screamed about splinters.

Cheers erupted from the other boys and he wasted no time taking credit training the little fighter.

"That's my pal, Pinocchio!" he even proclaimed.

Maybe he was wrong about Pinocchio. Sure, from the outside, the kid didn't look like the kind to partake in any of these activities, naughty boys like him liked to do. Just from looking at him, he thought Pinocchio was one of those kids that were sheltered by their parents. He didn't know anything!

And he could tell he was a goody-goody, too. He spoke too nicely for someone who wanted to commit mischief. Or was it all a ruse? What if deep down inside, he was actually very bad? He heard of some kids that pretended to be good in front of grownups. Was he one of them? He guessed that the reason he ran away was because he couldn't keep pretending. 

_Being bad is a lot of fun_ , he even heard him say.

It could explain why Pinocchio wasn't afraid to try. They did many things in Pleasure Island that Pinocchio had no second thoughts of.

What followed after that was a game of pool. He didn't find the sudden quietness around the island strange at all. Now he wished he did. But for now, he'd rather skip the entire part where he was caught by a henchman, stuffed into a crate, and sold to the salt mines.

As of this moment, Lampwick sat on a chair at Pinocchio's house. He was lost in his thoughts while Pinocchio went to find a thing that he wanted him to show.

"I found it! Lampy, come over here!"

He made his way to Pinocchio and he did not expect what he was seeing; Pinocchio held a puppet a puppet that looked exactly like him, except it was made of wood, had four fingers, and wore gloves. Besides that, everything was the same. They were even the same height.

Lampwick couldn't help but laugh. The puppet Pinocchio now held was the Pinocchio he first knew.

"Gee, I sure looked funny," said Pinocchio, looking at the puppet. Rather, what used to be him.

"Nah, I ain't laughin' 'cause you looked funny," said Lampwick. "I'm laughin' 'cause the entire time you were there, I didn't even notice! Crazy!"

After a while, they both shared a laugh.

"Y'know what, Pinoke? When I saw you again after I woke up, I didn't think anything changed," said Lampwick. "I always thought you were the same Pinocchio after all this time."

He earned a warm smile from Pinocchio.

With that settled, the two boys decided to go out and play.

Geppetto later found the puppet out of its cupboard. He had watched as he worked the way the two friends talked fondly of it. No matter how his boy looked, he thought nothing of him other than his son. He was glad to know that his friend thought nothing of his son other than as a friend.


	6. Close Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pinocchio and Lampwick run into some familiar but not-so friendly faces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, this story is going somewhere now. It can only get more intense from here on out.

VI – Tensions Rise

Pinocchio and Lampwick had gone in the town square to buy a cone of gelato for each of them, which cost one gold coin each. Jiminy wanted to argue if they were considered a light snack since Geppetto specifically told them to buy something that wouldn't spoil their dinner.

Jiminy just sighed. Kids will be kids.

Meanwhile, Pinocchio and Lampwick talked about school as they walked back to Geppetto's shop. He offered to help Lampwick catch up with what the class had learned so far, because they were to have an exam within two weeks.

"You can borrow my notes," he said. "I already read most of them anyway."

"You're a pal, Pinoke." Lampwick gave one big lick at his cone. "Helping me with school and junk. Really appreciate it."

"Anything to make it easier for you. I know going to school isn't really fun for some kids, especially for you."

Pinocchio licked away the cream that was about to run down on his hand. Then he wondered audibly: "What do you suppose happened to all those other kids at school? The rowdy ones, I mean."

"Huh?" Lampwick caught Pinocchio's words.

"They didn't really all go to Pleasure Island with us, did they?"

"Where else would boys like me would've gone? They'd be out there somewhere, still jackasses."

"As much as I hate to say it, you're right," said Jiminy Cricket. "I was there when the Coachman was loading all those donkeys into crates. Some of them could still talk. I'd hate to imagine what they did to them after."

Before the mood could get heavier as Lampwick now also wondered with a stare as distant as the sky, Pinocchio proposed to Lampwick: "What say we start on those notes for school?"

"Good idea," said Lampwick, agreeing with him.

They walked as they finished their cones.

Along the corner, two characters of ill-repute were about to cross the boys' paths. A flamboyant fox and his dim-witted feline companion strolled idly by.

The boys, lost in conversation, failed to notice them and so the two pairs bumped into each other.

"Hey, watch where you're—"

Lampwick was caught off guard at the people he bumped into; Pinocchio even more so, for he looked at the fox and the cat, warily.

"Pinocchio!" yelled Honest John, who recognized him but not his friend. "And... some other kid. Fancy seeing you around here!"

"Stand back, Pinocchio!" Lampwick had his arms spread to protect him. "These guys are bad news!"

Pinocchio didn't need to be told. It was because of these two that all those horrible things happened to him; stopped from going to school, being sold to a scary puppet master, and being tricked into going to Pleasure Island.

Obviously, they also did the same thing to Lampwick and all those other boys. They wouldn't have known about Pleasure Island if it weren't for them.

"Is it me, or is there something different about you?" Honest John pushed Lampwick aside. 

Pinocchio flinched when the fox pulled his arm and scrutinized it.

"My word, have a look at this, Giddy! He's no longer a puppet!"

"Let him go!" yelled Lampwick, kicking the fox. He was cruelly pushed away for his troubles.

"That's about enough!" Jiminy sprang into action, hopping onto Honest John's snout. "You're not tricking Pinocchio the third time! Have you any idea what you put him through because of your involvement? And furthermore..."

"AAAHHH!" Honest John screamed, which did not stop Jiminy from rambling. "A bug! A bug! Get him off of me, Gideon!"

Gideon had his mallet ready to whack the cricket off of the face of the earth. Or at least, off of Honest John's face.

"Look out!" Lampwick grabbed the cricket before the cat could land a hit on him.

Instead, the mallet hit the fox on his nose where he emitted a feral growl of discontent, letting go of his grip on Pinocchio.

"Run!" they said simultaneously.

Honest John and Gideon gave chase to the kids, plus Jiminy.

They passed a crowd of people in the village square which was where the pursuit ended abruptly when two policemen stopped the kids and the dastardly duo.

"What on earth is going on here?" asked one of the officers.

"Don't let them take us!" cried Pinocchio. "They tricked us... sent us to Pleasure Island... along with the others."

"Why, I did nothing of the kind," said Honest John, attempting to calm down and sound refined. The mad look that remained in his eyes did not fool the police one bit.

The commotion had attracted a mass of onlookers.

"Pleasure Island, you say?" said the policeman, ignoring the fox's protests. "That place is forbidden! No human is allowed to go there, never mind children."

"He wouldn't lie, officer," said Lampwick, who vouched for Pinocchio's words. "I escaped from there!"

"And me!" added Pinocchio. "They led us to the Coachman and his coach. Then we rode a boat that took us to the island."

It dawned on the officers what the boys have said. The Coachman...

"Ah, so he found some new lackeys to do his dirty work for him, eh?" The officer jerked the villains by the nape, even as the color drained from his face at the mention of the Coachman's involvement. "I'm putting you two in the clink!"

Before they could take them away, an angry villager came to the scene.

"So you two are responsible for my son's disappearance!" She then gave each of them a hard slap across the face.

"I've not seen my boy for weeks!" A grieving mother joined in.

"Where's Big Brother?!" cried the daughter of said mother.

"I'll skin these bastards alive!" roared an angry father.

The villagers, upset parents and family members swarmed them.

"You kids better go home," said the officer to Pinocchio and Lampwick. "You don't need to get caught in this chaos."

The boys did just that and ran back to Geppetto's shop, stopping to catch their breaths.

"Feel my heart..." Pinocchio placed Lampwick's hand to his chest. "It's like someone's knocking at the door."

"That was crazy, what happened back there," said Lampwick, wheezing. And yes, it did feel like someone's knocking, feeling his own heart.

"You okay there, Jiminy?" Pinocchio stretched out his pocket to look if his cricket friend was alright.

"Better than usual," he answered. "I would've poked his eyes out if he hadn't chased us like a coward."

"Yeah, I bet." Lampwick rolled his eyes.

They rested at Geppetto's shop until it was time for Lampwick to go home.

Since the very first day when many of the families' sons have not returned, a non-stop investigation had commenced. Sometime after that, the police raised awareness on the disappearance of the villagers' children, all of whom were boys. Sketches of the missing children were posted in the station. Today, a lead had come in the form of Honest John and Gideon who had been squeezed out to give much needed information. They were easily cracked and the two worked for the Coachman, without a doubt.

The Coachman, lest he's forgotten, was a notorious criminal who had a knack for abducting misbehaved boys. Often he would hire some help from people of poor backgrounds who wish to earn some money, promising to pay them handsomely. It came with a price as they would mostly do the heavy lifting of luring the children. Fortunately, his victims were found alive but in a state of over-exhaustion after having been forced into backbreaking labor.

During the trial, a crime so horrible was uncovered when a witness—an accomplice who decided to turn their back against their master—described how he treated the boys. Many left the court in anguish because of it. He was swiftly sentenced to death but then he disappeared on the day of his execution. With the news released to the public, many feared that he might be at large. To make matters worse, no one could ever find him, not even with the encouragement of a reward for his capture. It seemed like all was hopeless.

Until now.


	7. Tides

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Coachman has finally caught wind of one of his victims having escaped from the island.

VII – Tides

"Give a bad boy enough rope and he'll soon make a jackass of himself," he always said.

The fates of the boys were plain and simple; have fun, break stuff, drink beer, and turn into donkeys, the third one being a very important part as the beverage used the water in processing it. The effect took place in no time.

This time, however, while preparing for his journey across the sea, a henchman had presented him a letter containing a note which informed him that one of his boys had escaped. And with one escaped victim, there was a risk of being compromised.

He boarded a nondescript boat and rowed his way towards the mainland.

The note mentioned of a little wooden boy, which he remembered quite well as the boy sat beside him on their first trip to Pleasure Island. Apparently, his name was Pinocchio.

Whatever it takes, he just had to find him right now.

* * *

They were going to have a picnic.

Pinocchio had invited Lampwick to walk with him and his father to the beach. Luckily for both, his mother gave him permission.

While Geppetto prepared the blanket and the meals from the basket, the boys ran all over the sandy beach, barefoot. They weren't allowed to swim but they still played near the water, running towards it when the tide flowed away then running away when the tide came back in.

They quickly built castles in the sand, watching them be torn down by the sea. They drew shapes, wrote words, and letters on the wet sand. The water would erase it for them so they could write and draw on it again.

Suddenly, Pinocchio stood up.

"I gotta go," said Pinocchio, standing up.

"What do you mean?" asked Lampwick, not comprehending.

Pinocchio fidgeted in his shorts, legs going inward, covering his front with his hands.

Oh, he meant that kind of 'go.'

"I know a good place." Lampwick led the way. "Follow me." 

"It's not too far, is it?" asked Jiminy.

"It's not, I promise," answered Lampwick. "Which is why you don't need to follow us. We'll only be by those giant rocks."

"Hm... alright, if you say so," said Jiminy. He still had a hard time trusting Lampwick but with time, it waned bit by bit. He simply couldn't help but look out for Pinocchio.  
Pinocchio was taken to a spot on the beach where huge rocks sprouted out of the ground. Lampwick pointed out that they make good walls, perfect for some needed alone time. And bathroom breaks.

"Just go wherever you feel like," said Lampwick.

"Okay!" Pinocchio dropped his short overalls, giving no time for Lampwick to explain that he was to go behind one of the rocks. But it was too late for he already had done his business on a bunch of small rocks on the ground.

Lampwick also forgot to look away when he did. Pinocchio didn't seem to be bothered by it, though and he buttoned his overalls back like nothing unusual happened.

"You were supposed to do it by those bigger rocks right there." Lampwick pointed behind him.

"Oh." Pinocchio blushed. "Um, oops!"

They went towards the rocks, hiding behind one of them from where Geppetto and Jiminy Cricket were waiting.

When they were done, Pinocchio asked, "Hey, is it ok if I try something?"

"What is it?" Lampwick was curious but intrigued.

"It's something I've been wanting to do."

"Go on..."

Pinocchio shuffled his feet, feeling shy. He couldn't let it stop him now, though. Sweeping his bangs aside, swallowing a gulp, he leaned forward with a goal in mind.  
With that, the space between their lips was sealed.

As he kissed him, Pinocchio's bright blue eyes closed while Lampwick's eyes widened.

Gradually, the lids on his eyes closed half way until he too closed them completely, kissing him back. He held Pinocchio's hands where their fingers interlocked each other when the weight shifted to his. Pinocchio approved of it and leaned back.

They parted, then Lampwick delivered several pecks on Pinocchio's head; at his fore head, his cheeks and his nose. Pinocchio returned the favor, light kisses that tickled the skin on Lampwick's face. 

He didn't know what to feel anymore. In Pleasure Island, it was okay to admit not having to follow that rule because there were no rules. Now that he was right here, back home, where there were rules and he was expected to follow them...

It was frustrating. Where does it say he couldn't like who he liked, anyway? But he knows that revealing this to anyone like his mother, the kids at school, and anyone who didn't understand was out of the question.

Pinocchio noticed the smile on Lampwick's face falter while his eyes looked down.

"Lampwick?" PInocchio reached out to him.

Lampwick looked back up at him upon hearing his name. He took a deep breath.

"I—"

" _Pinocchio! Pinocchio!_ "

Lampwick was thankful that the cricket disturbed them for once. He figured that whatever he was going to say wouldn't completely destroy the silence.

"Jiminy?!"

Jiminy Cricket ran to them as if he'd just seen a ghost. Something was wrong.

"Jiminy! What's happened?" asked Pinocchio, crouching down.

"Your father!"

"What about my father?!"

"H-he... he... he's been kidnapped! He's gone!"

They both gasped, horrified.

"B-but how? And by who?!"

"You're not gonna like what I'm about to tell you..."


	8. Operation Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pinocchio, Lampwick, and Jiminy go and try to rescue Geppetto, but they can't do it alone.

VIII – Operation Rescue

The Coachman arrived on the shore. At first, it seemed like the beach was deserted as ever until he glanced up to see an old man staring back at him.

He froze, thinking that his cover had been blown. But the old man talked to him fairly.

"Can I help you, sir?" he asked.

"As a matter of fact, yes," answered the Coachman. "Have you by any chance know of a strange lad made entirely of wood who is probably now a 'real boy,' so to speak?"

The Coachman watched the old man's expression change from intrigued to concern. He shouldn't have asked so rashly. The old man began to putting his picnic back into the basket.

Then it dawned on him that, through some sheer luck from God, he might have just found the boy's father.

"Was it something I said?"

"Please, excuse me, I have to go look for my—"

"Pinocchio?" He spoke of the name, grinning maliciously.

Before the old man could sprint away, he put a cloth to his nose, knocking him out. Bound and gagged, he put him on a sack stuffed with cloth to conceal the fact that a body was there. Regardless, he carried him without trouble and into the village, making sure not to be spotted by anyone else again.

Jiminy later summed up the events; the Coachman appeared out of nowhere, talked to his father, and after a struggle he was knocked out, put in a sack and carried away into the village.

There was one more thing:

"He left this note!" Jiminy produced a small piece of paper—which was gigantic compared to his size—and handed it to Pinocchio, who began reading it.

It wrote:  
 _'If you ever want to see your father again, wait for my coach on the out-_  
 _skirts of the village before midnight._

The note was unsigned, but Jiminy knew who he saw and wrote the note.

Pinocchio dropped the note and fell to his knees.

"P-Pinocchio." Jiminy approached the boy slowly when a tear escaped him.

"It's all my fault... I should've gone back sooner."

"But, Pinocchio," Lampwick got down on his knees, placing a hand on Pinocchio's shoulder. "It's you he wanted. If he caught you already, who knows what he'll do! For all we know, he probably came here to take you back."

"But I didn't want Father to get in trouble because of me!" cried Pinocchio. "Not again!"

Pinocchio sat down, where he began to finally cry.

"Hold on, Pinoke." Jiminy petted him. "Remember, the Coachman only disappeared back into the village. We can find him if we only knew where he went. He must be staying at some inn or somewhere."

As if a light bulb had appeared, Lampwick lit up and banged his fist on the palm of his hand.

"I know of such a joint!"

Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket turned to him. What place could that be?

* * *

The Coachman placed the sack in the room he was staying in for the night. So as to not find the old man dead from lack of air, he placed two holes to look out from with his knife. For now, he was still unconscious.

He went back down to the ground floor at the dining room to ask of the innkeeper something to eat and drink. He waited patiently as he puffed away on his pipe.

The innkeeper, by the way, was paid for his silence to not disclose where the Coachman often lingered, and not without the threat of taking his life. The poor man approached the Coachman always in a cold sweat, no choice but to serve him. 

For the sake of everyone's safety, he had not taken down the 'no vacancy' sign on his establishment. The only way he managed for the inn to not close was because his only visitor paid so much gold, the inn could survive from his money alone. He dared not ask how he got such an endless supply.

"What are you mucking around for? Hop to it!"

The innkeeper darted out of his sight, meeting the Coachman's demands as fast as he could.

The scene around the Red Lobster Inn was completely different. Located near the docks, t was foggy and it seemed like the sunlight couldn't even penetrate through it.

In the meantime, two boys watched from the window what was happening inside. They could instantly identify the figure that sat inside, and an anxious looking man who ran around constantly.

"There he is!" stated Jiminy Cricket. "I gotta say, I'm impressed. How did you know he'd be here?"

"Yeah, Lampy, how?" asked Pinocchio, equally impressed.

"I've been around enough to know where the shady types liked to hang out," said Lampwick, proudly. "Yeah, I know it's not something a boy my age oughta be looking for, but it helps to be street smart."

"Obviously, we can't just go busting down the door and say 'hands in the air!' like we're the law or something. I knew we should've gone to the police before."

"But we gotta make sure he really IS there," explained Pinocchio. "That's why we're here."

"What if one of us go tell the cops right now while one of us keep watch, just in case the Coachman makes a move?" said Lampwick. "You can go Pinocchio. I've been to this joint many times and I know all the hiding spots in case somebody catches me spyin' on them."

"Okay, if you're sure," said Pinocchio, assuming his stance. "I'll run really fast so I can—"

"Let's go now, Pinoke!" Jiminy was already hopping. "Time's a-wastin'!"

Pinocchio ran and ran as fast as he could back to the village to find the police station.

He tried to remember the way, trying not to panic when he got lost. He bumped into some people, nearly entered a church where a wedding was happening, but eventually, he found the place he was looking for.

The police were having a very important conversation inside.

"I always thought vanilla was just a glorified name for milk," said an officer who stared intently at his cone of gelato. "It's actually a flower!"

"Wait, so you've been eating flower flavored gelato all this time?" said the fellow.  
  
When the door burst open, it nearly made them drop their cones.

"Officers! I need your help," cried Pinocchio.

"What is it, young man?"

The officers turned around, their impressive mustaches covered in cream.

While Jiminy stifled a laugh, Pinocchio proceeded to say what he needed to say:

"We found the Coachman! He's at the Red Lobster Inn, as we speak!"

The officers' jaws dropped, along with their cone of ice cream. Glaring, they gathered their wits together, hands on their hips.

"This better not be some kind of trick, boy," said one.

"We've had a nasty experience dealing with lying little boys coming to our station, making up the most ridiculous stories," said the other.

"I swear to you, kind sirs, I'm not making this up." Pinocchio placed a hand on his chest, one hand raised. "I wouldn't lie, I promise!"

"Are you sure?"

Jiminy jumped on Pinocchio's shoulder.

"As his conscience, I can confirm that this boy is not lying to you!"

The officers' jaws dropped again.

"Did that cricket just talk to us, Lauro?"

"I believe so, Vito. What was in that gelato?"

"Please, officers!" begged Jiminy. "We are in a hurry!"

"My friend is still there, watching him," said Pinocchio. "The Coachman might leave soon!"

"Fine, you have convinced us!" said the officer. "Shall we go now?"

"Actually, I think I'll stay here to watch these two."  
  
The officer gestured to a cell where Honest John and Gideon were behind bars. The cat waved to them gleefully, earning a bop to the head from the fox.

"Great idea, good man!" he said. "Who knows what these felons could do without one of our watchful eyes? To the police wagon!"

"We haven't one, Vito," said the other.

"Still?" whined the officer. "Okay, then we run like the wind!"

"We're a bit winded at the moment," said Jiminy.

"We ran as fast as we could to get here!" added Pinocchio.

Thinking of an idea, the officer suddenly heard a horse whinny just outside of the station's door.

A young man (the farmer's son from way back when) was riding his horse who pulled an empty wagon.

"Perfect!" he exclaimed. "I think we'll make great time!"

After kissing the fellow officer on both cheeks, he, Pinocchio, and Jiminy ran outside.

The police officer stops the young man on the horse.

"We're on official business!" he said, showing his badge. "Move aside!"

"Hey!" cried the young man who had just been pushed. "Hop on, boys!"

Reluctantly, they rode on the empty wagon behind the horse. It was urgent after all.

"Hyah!" yelled the officer as the horse ran with lightning speed, nearly hitting a few pedestrians who were crossing the street.

"Reckless rider!" shouted one of them.

Stunned, the young man exclaimed:

"Again?!"


	9. At the Brink

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A chase is afoot as the Coachman attempts to evade justice.

IX – At the Brink

Fast as ever, the police officer rode the wagon containing Pinocchio and Jiminy to the Red Lobster Inn. Needless to say, his passengers were clinging for dear life.

"The good thing about this is that we'll get there in no time!" said Jiminy, shouting over the horse's loud gallops.

"What?!" yelled Pinocchio, temporarily hard of hearing. "I don't think so! I'm pretty sure we'll get there in no time!"

Back at the inn, Lampwick kept watch, occasionally looking behind him to see if Pinocchio and Jiminy had arrived with the police.

"Where are you guys?" he demanded from the air, becoming more impatient having turned around more than once before.

He saw the Coachman stand up from his chair. It looked like he was going upstairs. Knowing he couldn't lose sight of him, he carefully opened the front door to follow him.

"But wait, I have to be here when they arrive," said Lampwick, stopping on his tracks. He wanted to see what the Coachman was up to but there's a chance that he might get caught if he went inside.

He closed the door. Lampwick assured himself that the Coachman was probably up in his room and won't go far.

Fortunately, before he got impatient again, help had arrived.

"Sweet ride," he said flatly, noticing their peculiar mode of transportation.

"Did anything happen while we were gone?" asked Pinocchio.

"Just that the Coachman went up the stairs," answered Lampwick. "Probably up to his room."

The officer jumped off the wagon.

"This is it," he said. "You kids best leave this scene. It could get messy."

"But I have to see if where he's keeping my father!" said Pinocchio.

"And I ain't no stranger to messes," said Lampwick.

"I can't be responsible if anything happens to you two," reasoned the officer. "In fact, you shouldn't even be here. Go home, now. Leave the Coachman to me, alright?"

The officer grabbed his sword, kicking the door open. He made no attempt to be quiet.

Pinocchio and Lampwick watched from the window. The officer had a sword to the innkeeper, causing the other man to back away with his hands raised.

"Word on the street is that you've been housing a very dangerous criminal, are you not?" they heard him say.

"Gee. He looks really serious when doing his job, doesn't he?" said Pinocchio.

"Man, I haven't seen a bust since ever," said Lampwick, admiring the way the officer made the innkeeper shake in his boots.

"This is interesting and all, but I sincerely think we should follow his suggestion and go home," said Jiminy.

"Aw come on," whined Lampwick. "Don't be a party pooper."

"Why is he still talking to him?" Pinocchio swung back and forth in his heels, wondering what was taking the cop so long to go and find the Coachman.

As the three got lost watching at the window while at the same time, talking to each other, they failed to notice the looming presence just behind them.

What they definitely didn't fail to notice was when the cloth was put to their noses, knocking the boys one by one. Their bodies fell to the ground before one of them could scream.

"Pinocchio! Lampwick!" called Jiminy. The boys did not respond.

Two gloved hands were coming for him, and he withdrew as he closed his eyes.

"Mess with my plans, will you?!"

He looked around to see that the hand had taken the boys away.

The Coachman was gigantic from where he stood. And that was saying something because everything to him was gigantic.

"There's no room for this sack right here," he said. "Guess I'll have to take you back to my coach and make sure you don't try and run away from me again."

Before the Coachman could go far, Jiminy ran inside of the inn to tell the officer what had transpired. He hopped on the man's pants pockets, climbed up his buttons, and stopping at his shoulder near his ear.

"Officer, help! The boys are in trouble!"

"Who said that?!" The officer turned to where the voice was.

"It's me, Jiminy Cricket!" he yelled. "The Coachman... he took the boys! Stop him now, he's just outside!"

"What?!" cried the officer. "I thought he was up in his room!"

"H-he n-never... uses t-the front door," said the innkeeper, still being pointed at with the policeman's sword. "H-he must've c-climbed out... of the w-window..."

"What are we standing around here for? Let's go!" Jiminy hopped frantically.

Still on his shoulder, the officer went outside.

"Stop right there!" he commanded, but the Coachman was no longer there.

"It can't be! He was just here a minute ago!" Jiminy scratched his head.

A distant braying was heard in the distance. They saw the faint image of a coach being hauled by a group of donkeys, disappearing into the mists.

"That's him! Follow that wagon!"

"Yes, yes!"

The officer decided to separate the wagon from the horse which he hopped on in order to lighten the load. Tugging its reins, the horse made chase.

It led them to the outskirts of the village, none of them knowing where he was en route. What's important right now was that they catch up to him. They raced to get beside him.

"Stop in the name of the king!" said the officer.

Shocked, the Coachman thrashed his whip at the donkeys, encouraging them to speed up.

"Giddyap!"

"Your terror ends here, you villain!" said the officer. "Surrender now, or else!"

"You'll never take me alive, pig!" The Coachman whipped the donkeys harder.

Jiminy couldn't help but cringe at every strike knowing what those poor creatures used to be.

"Just give up, Coachman! We have you cornered!"

"'We?'" The Coachman looked questionably at his adversary. "You and that pony? Don't make me laugh!"

"He meant me, you lummox!" declared Jiminy, which the other seemed to have failed to hear.

The Coachman had to find a way to get rid of them. He decided to strike his whip at the cop and his stallion. The cop stopped the whip with his sword, sending sparks upon impact.

"That's cheating!" cried Jiminy.

The Coachman continued whipping at them. All the officer could do was repel the attacks with his sword. The longer it went on, the more he doubted whether he could keep it up.

Meanwhile, inside the coach, Geppetto stirred inside of his confines. The sack wriggled about and two eyes opened, looking through the holes the Coachman made. He saw two other boys with him.

It was Pinocchio and his friend, Lampwick! Their hands seemed to be tied behind them, as well as their feet. They were also unconscious.

His screams for help were muffled by the cloth tied around his mouth.  
  
Geppetto tried to escape from the sack. The knot was tied rather loosely. For every shake the carriage made, it got looser. He poked his head on the opening that formed above him and crawled out of the sack, along with some piles of cotton fabric, to try and get near the boys.

"Wmm gmmm hm?!" The muffled noise was translated to 'what's going on?!'

Just outside, the Coachman had managed to land a hit on the horse's backside, causing it to whinny and swing its hooves around the air standing on its hind legs.

Laughing, the Coachman went away until he turned his head to see that he was heading for a cliff. He stopped just in time before he, along with the wagon and his donkeys, fell into the rocky waters.

He seethed at the sound of hooves approaching him. Even if it meant sacrificing his donkeys, he decided to free them from the holdback and cut off the reins. Not surprisingly, many of them scattered away from him.

The policeman drew near. With his hands on the wagon, he said:

"Take one step closer and I push this carriage, along with everything and everyone in it, to its watery grave!"

The officer stopped.

"I can get more donkeys, and I can always find a new coach. But you won't be able to replace two kids and a poor old father, would you?"

"What do you want, Coachman?" he yelled, his sword pointed at him.

Geppetto listened from the inside.

"Simple." The Coachman began detailing his proposition. "You let me go, and I leave this carriage in your well-meaning hands. I find meself a new place to go and quietly continue me work."

"Turning children into donkeys?" The officer grew more upset as he went. "Luring them to a life of hard labor below the standards of their living? Stripping them of their humanity? You call that work?!"

"They deserved it!" he fired back. "They oughta be punished. I merely turned them into what they really were."

Geppetto bumped into the kids, trying to wake them up.

"If they're gonna act like a jackass, I'm a turn 'em into a jackass!" added the Coachman.

The movements Geppetto made sent the carriage back with one wheel at the edge of the cliff. Geppetto flinched while the kids slowly regained their consciousness.

Having seen the wagon was close to falling, Jiminy rushed forward and jumped inside. He saw Pinocchio, Lampwick, and Geppetto all tied up. Geppetto was the only one gagged among them.

"Jiminy Cricket!" said Pinocchio, looking up.

"Hush, Pinoke," whispered Jiminy. "I'm here to set you free!"

"Set Father free first," said Pinocchio. "He's been tied up the longest."

"Alright." Jiminy hopped to the woodcarver. "Hold on, Mr. Geppetto. You'll be free in a jiff!"

Jiminy managed to untie the cloth on his mouth. He went down to do the same on his hands and feet.

Just outside, the officer tried to negotiate with the Coachman.

"If you surrender peacefully, there might be a way for the law to not proceed with your execution."

"You suppose that I'd rather spend the rest of my days rotting in a cell with a ball and chain on my ankle instead?"

"You know what you're doing is evil! I don't make the rules. It's just the way it is! You HAVE to face the consequences of your actions."

"Drop your sword, my good fellow," urged the Coachman. "And all of us, including the lot in my coach, can escape no worse for wear."

The officer tightened his grip.

Geppetto, free from his binds, untied the ropes that bound his son while Jiminy helped his friend. Pinocchio wrapped his father in a tight embrace.

"You know what happens if you step forward!" He had a hand on the coach, threatening to tip it over.

In the distance, one of the escaped donkeys watched from behind a boulder.

The officer couldn't keep his arm and reluctantly brought it down. As he was about to drop his sword...

Geppetto burst from the wagon's doors, Pinocchio riding on his back, and Lampwick following behind with Jiminy riding atop his hat.

"What the devil?!"

Having gone out, Lampwick slammed the door close on the wagon which sent it plummeting down the cliff. It made an audible crash when it hit the rocks.

It was the last straw for the Coachman.

He grabbed Pinocchio from his father's shoulders.

"I'll make a jackass out of YOU, boy!"

Geppetto managed to grab him.

"Help, father!" cried Pinocchio. "He's hurting me!"

With gritted teeth, eyes furrowed, and his red nose turning into a much deeper shade, Geppetto successfully had the boy back in his arms.

"You monster!" Geppetto attacked the Coachman, his fist nearly landed on him but the larger man stopped it.

Everyone watched in awe, especially Pinocchio. He had never seen his father so angry before.

The two men pushed each other to the edge, quite literally. Everyone gasped when one of them almost lost their footing.

Then the Coachman overpowered the woodcarver and pinned him to the ground.

Geppetto kicked him in the stomach. The villain hissed at every hit.

"Father!" Pinocchio held his hand out, wishing to run to him but Lampwick held him back.

With a huge fist raised, The Coachman was ready to give his first and final blow. It looked like it was the end.

Then a loud braying had caught the attention of everyone. A donkey was running towards them. It didn't take long to find out that the donkey was approaching the Coachman.

Was it out for revenge, or did it want to help them? No one knew.

The Coachman grabbed his whip, hoping to tame the animal.

"Stand back!"

He stood and struck the donkey with the whip, giving it a nasty gash on its face.

Unfortunately for him, a piece of ground underneath his heel gave way when he put his full weight on it.

"Oh no..." The Coachman yelped. He fell, but managed to hang onto the edge, albeit barely.

And just like that, everyone watched him as his grip failed to save him from finally falling into oblivion.

"Noooooo—"  
Cut short was his scream when a wave silenced the impact of his body to where it was going to land.

From above they looked down. His body was not there, all except for a stain of blood that quickly faded in the waters.

That was the end of the Coachman.


	10. Pinocchio and Lampwick; Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the adventure coming to a close, the only thing left to do was to tie up loose ends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it! The last one. It's a little cheesy and again, not really a big fan re-reading it all. Anywho, let's get on with it.

X – Pinocchio and Lampwick

Other police officers had been summoned to observe the crime scene, attracting the attention of locals. No one was ready for the upsetting sight of one of the men being tasked with recovering the fallen body of the Coachman. Much to everyone's misery, the man was successful. Rightly, some of them ran away, some of them fainted, some continued looking on, speechless.

At the station, the officer who was entrusted with watching the fox and the cat had something to share.

"A day after we locked them in their cell, the two had written a letter which we found mysterious. He said it was for his mother and it had an address and whatnot.

"Little did we know that the address was actually to Pleasure Island. After you left, I decided to connect the dots about how the Coachman ever found out one of his boys had escaped. Once again, I squeezed out more information where I found out that the innkeeper worked two jobs; he also sorted the mail on weekends. By that logic, he was also responsible for finding any letters that had THAT particular address which they used as a code. So any important news could go to the Coachman if need be."

"That poor man," said the officer, referring to the innkeeper. "What's become of him now?"

"I have sent some of our officers to his door to have him arrested. As pitiable as his situation was, he still conspired with a criminal and helped him with his plans."

Everyone couldn't believe the process which went through sending a message. They had moved on to the idea that the very reason for why everything has happened to them happened would be a mystery. Still, it was nice to know all of that.

* * *

Quack, quack, quack, went the little wooden duck.

"Do you know how much time I wasted just watching this little guy waddle?" Lampwick watched the toy from the bed, his fascination towards having never gone away.

"I'm glad you liked it so much," said Pinocchio, who was also watching from the bed. His father had agreed to let him sleepover for tonight.

Lampwick reclined on his bed.

"Hey, Pinoke, I've been thinking about what happened between us back at the beach. You know, behind those rocks."

Pinocchio's face reddened at the memory and laid beside him.

"Yeah, me too," he said. "It made me feel... good things. It was great. Actually, it was more than great."

"It was, wasn't it? I thought it was swell."

"That's it! That's the word I was looking for!"

"Man, I can't believe I just had my first kiss."

"First kiss?" Pinocchio's eyebrow raised at the concept.

"It's something people make a big deal of because it has something to do with love and all that sappy stuff." Lampwick explained bitterly, with a hint of disgust. Then his tone changed as he continued. "But it's not for everyone. When I tried to talk to girls, they get annoyed. But when you let girls talk, they never shut up! I'm not saying they're all like that. You know, I thought the girls in our class were very nice. But I don't ever think of wanting to ask them out anytime soon."

"Why?"

Usually, Lampwick would get annoyed when he asked him that. But the way he said it, and the familiar tone it carried, it brought him back to a time when things were easier to explain to him.

"Because I don't like girls," he finally answered. "Why I don't like girls, I don't know. And I just can't make myself like them, too! Wanna know why?!"

Pinocchio shook his head. He couldn't back away too much because the bed was too narrow, so he could only make himself small when Lampwick's voice started to sound loud.

"...I don't know." The words from Lampwick's mouth came out as a faint murmur.

"It's okay if you don't know," said Pinocchio. "Nobody knows everything, Lampwick."

"But do you know that it's bad for boys to like boys?" said Lampwick, vehemently. "And that it's bad for girls to like girls? But everyone expects to just like one another because they said so?"

Like Lampwick expected, Pinocchio shook his head.

"Good boys aren't supposed to like other boys," said Lampwick, feeling dejected. "You became a real boy because you were on the _straight_ and narrow path, right?"

"What are you talking about?" Pinocchio was confused. "I became a real boy because I proved to the Blue Fairy— I proved to myself that I was brave, truthful, and unselfish."

He repeated the words in his head.

Brave.

Truthful.

Unselfish.

He repeated it again, this time, aloud.

"Brave... truthful... unselfish..."

Lampwick listened on, bemused.

"None of that had anything to do with liking someone like you!" Pinocchio realized. "Who you like doesn't matter, as long as you're not hurting anyone. I like you because that's what I feel!"

"I don't know what I feel..." Lampwick clutched his chest.

"D-do you want me to leave then?" Pinocchio sat up. His voice sounded like he was about to cry. "Because, I don't like seeing you like this because of me."

"Don't leave, Pinocchio!" Lampwick grabbed his arm.

"Maybe it would've been easier if I was still a puppet!" Pinocchio held himself back from sobbing. "At least you wouldn't have to worry about like a boy like me, because I wouldn't be real."

"Stop it!" Lampwick pulled Pinocchio back, right into his arms. He buried his face on his shoulder to hide the tears flowing down his face. "Don't talk like that!"

It was horrible. Of course, no one could be able to know everything but why were the things he was supposed to know, he didn't know?

That wasn't true, though. He lied. He was just scared.

Too scared to say what he really felt. But if he didn't say it right now, Pinocchio, the only friend he ever had, would think that he felt nothing for him.

He thought back to everything that had happened to him. He was that close to being taken by the darkness, destined to die as an animal without anyone knowing what and who he once was. He breathed his last breath until a light as bright as the sun shined on him.

Lampwick remembered the kind words Pinocchio had said to him, urging him to hold on.

Lampwick remembered Pinocchio crying on his shoulders and the tears that stained his fur which had become skin.

And finally, Lampwick remembered the joy Pinocchio felt when he saw him once again. That was the first face he ever saw.

Pinocchio told him back then he must've done something worthy to the Blue Fairy that he turned back into a human. The more he thought about it, the less likely that was what happened.

It wasn't the Blue Fairy that had saved him, though it was possible she had helped him still.

A much more powerful force must've been in play. It was at the tip of his tongue. Those three words, with all the emotions from within, it escaped him.

"...I love you."

It felt like the world has just stopped and time stood still. He couldn't hear anything but the voice that spoke to him and the cries on his shoulder. The arms that wrapped around him softened its hold.

"I'm s-sorry, Pinoc-cchio," said Lampwick, trembling. "That stuff I said doesn't matter. I-I should've j-just thought about us. I was too worried about w-what everyone would t-think."

The thoughts ran in Pinocchio's mind; this was more than what it feels like to be a real boy. This was... human. Emotional. 

And most of all... real.

"It's okay, Lampwick," said Pinocchio, who had been crying just as much, though silently. "I love you, too..."

All through the stillness of the night, they slept in an embrace at each other's comfort.

It seemed too much for two boys, as young as they were, to be caught up in attempting to make sense of the complex matters of the heart. But worry not as it won't last very long.

With everything settled, morning would find them snuggled into one tiny bed and the sunlight spilling over from the window. And how else could two young boyfriends greet each other with on a brand new day?

A smile and a kiss.

* * *

EPILOGUE

Moments pass by.

A police officer, one named Vito, was to be honored by the king for his help in stopping the Coachman once and his evil once and for all. However, he did not come alone. The real hero that day was presented before His Majesty; a donkey who had a scar across his face. He explained that if it were not for the creature's bravery, the villain wouldn't have been defeated.

Suddenly, word had spread that as soon as the king placed his sword on the animal, it had turned into a real boy before everyone's eyes.

In fact, the same thing had happened everywhere. Donkeys left and right, those in the salt mines, the circuses, at farms; just about everywhere, they were turning back into boys, including those who would have surely died from overwork.

Arrests were made at those who purchased the donkeys through such illegal channels.

One day, a load full of boys who had been separated from their families for so long had arrived in the village. Not a single eye was dry when everyone ran back into the arms of their mothers and fathers. Some had brothers and sisters who missed them dearly.

Geppetto tried again to have a nice wonderful picnic with his boy.

Again, Lampwick was with them.

The boys decided not to play or wander too far until Geppetto had finally set up the picnic and have eaten their lunch. The woodcarver, however, insisted that the boys have fun.

They chose to simply sit by the shore and talk as they let the water touch their bare feet every now and then.

Jiminy Cricket was on Geppetto's shoulder who whispered something in his ear.

Smiling mischievously, he scooped a handful of water and splashed at the boys.

"Catch me if you can!" Geppetto ran as fast as he could, laughing wild. Jiminy hopped right behind him.

The boys screamed for joy, chasing the old man around the shore.

"We'll get you father!"

"Jiminy, you traitor!"

The boys caught up with Geppetto, Pinocchio jumping on his father's arms, pushing him down on his back. Laughing, they all went down and the tide splashed around them, it's as if the sea wanted to play along.

And with that, they all lived happily ever after.

**THE END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it's over! See you next time, whenever that will be.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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